Is Paizo's Pathfinder really compatible with 3.5?

[BryonD]

At it's core, system mastery is about understanding the language that underpins RPGs.

In the context of the post I replied to "system mastery" was specifically in reference to creating a character of maxmium power and pushed (if not mandated) selection of one build over another.

I accept your defintion and have no problem with it. But the term is a typical buzz word with multiple implications of varying priority. You are not using it the way Rem used it He may have been thinking the same thing as you. But if so he fell into the trap of presuming one possible outcome and ended up being all about power build optimization.

In the broader sense, system mastery can and should mean having the tools to build whatever style of character you want.

Limiting that freedom to only those options which are power optimized is a bad thing caused by a win/lose mentality. IMO

Going back to the OP... I don't mind the idea of twinks, I just wonder if the final result will be such that new published products will need to dual-stat in order to be Pathfinder-ready. That would be a shame.

Not needed in the slightest

 

[pawsplay]

In the context of the post I replied to "system mastery" was specifically in reference to creating a character of maxmium power and pushed (if not mandated) selection of one build over another.

I accept your defintion and have no problem with it. But the term is a typical buzz word with multiple implications of varying priority. You are not using it the way Rem used it He may have been thinking the same thing as you. But if so he fell into the trap of presuming one possible outcome and ended up being all about power build optimization.

This brings to mind the Character Optimization board on Wizards. Every so often, someone would wander in and say, "Help me optimize by 11th level dwarf cleric" or whatever, and usally the first reply would be, "As what?"

Not only is power building a limited perspective, it ignores that all power builds are context dependent. Generating obscenely high melee damage means little against a mobile flying opponent, and even a powerful archmage faces some hurdles in fighting opponents with defenses against magic.